My life in Jakarta was very quiet during July and August, which suited me very well, as I had plenty of work to do. I was also busy shopping to set-up my house properly, and was particularly tired, as I didn't get any holidays between finishing my job in Turkey and starting my job in Jakarta. So during this time I wasn't quite reclusive, but I certainly wasn't out partying every weekend. Since my 2 week holiday in Bali my social life has improved dramatically, and I am starting to feel very at-home here.
Of course there are always things happening in Australia (& Colombia & elsewhere) that make me home-sick. One of those things was not the Australian Federal Election in August - I was very happy to miss that, particularly as it dragged on for so long. One thing I did miss around that time was my Dad's 70th birthday, when nearly all of my family spent a weekend away together celebrating. I was lucky enough to talk to them briefly on Skype but it would have been great to be there. The other significant event in Australia during September is obviously the finals of the Australian Football League (NOT RUGBY AND NOT SOCCER). I was lucky enough to see most games on TV in Bali or Jakarta. My team in the SANFL (Norwood) made the Grand Final for the first time in 11 years, but got beaten, albeit only just, by the bullies of the league. Last time they made the Grand Final they also lost, and I proposed to my ex-wife that same day, so it is probably a good thing I was not at the match this year! Who knows who I would have proposed to?! Last weekend I was very sad to miss my 20-year school reunion. I had planned to blow a lot of money to get home for it, but then my school booked me in to a conference in Hong Kong the same weekend so I couldn't go anyway. I still have many close friends (including of course my twin sister) from school days, and that makes me feel very fortunate. It has been great to see their photos on facebook but it would have been better to be there. I will have to wait another 10 years!
There have of course been many significant events here in Jakarta over the last few months. Here are a few:
1. Ramadan came to an end. This meant that I finally managed to buy some alcohol apart from beer!!!! It is pretty close to impossible to buy serious alcohol here. There is a wine shop that charges exorbitant prices for crap wine, and astronomic prices for decent wine. I haven't been able to bring myself to spend $50 on a $5 bottle yet, but that day may come. There are a few "duty-free" shops, but these are only supposed to sell to diplomats, which of course excludes most of the population, even of foreigners. However, sometimes they will sell a maximum of 3 bottles to a foreigner without a diplomat card, on the sly of course. This did not happen at all during Ramadan. I have now had one successful trip to the duty-free, and along with a trip to Hong Kong I am now in the possession of 5 bottles of alcohol! They might sit there for years or they might not, but it is reassuring that they are there - just in case!
2. My classes of Bahasa Indonesia (language) have started at school. We have a one hour class once a week. There are 5 students and we are all crap. I am probably the 2nd most talented language student in the group which is not a good sign for 3 others! Our teacher tries her best but can't really understand that we just need practical knowledge before we worry about technical stuff. Hopefully we will improve.
3. This didn't "happen", but I feel like mentioning it if I didn't in an earlier post. The Indonesian word for "teacher" is "guru". I think that is way cool. I'm a guru. That is even better than being a "professor" in Spanish. When someone asks me what I do I simply say "Saya (I) (am) guru". I try to leave off the word for mathematics - it seems to lose the interest of some people. Weird.
4. I had a birthday. I'm not sure what was scarier: turning 37 or having a 20 year school reunion. I guess they both tell me the same thing. Time is marching on. It was a good birthday. I had just got back to work after Bali, so went to dinner with a group of friends. It was a bit strange only having 2 beers on my birthday, but that is what happens when most of your friends are sensible! One of the highlights of my day was receiving a clock-radio from a friend. This might seem of little importance, but it had been on my shopping list for 11 weeks, and I had not found one in the 37 shopping malls I had visited. It is nice waking up to the radio instead of a mobile phone.
5. Oktoberfest! This was my first big "ex-pat function". 500 people jammed into a fancy hotel ballroom standing on tables with beer steins, and singing along to an oom-pah (?) band, while also stuffing their faces with pork galore, and lots of other tasty German food. This was exactly my kind of event! It was a great night. I met lots of new people, discovered a couple of new bars and generally had a great time. Of course I lost my phone (in the taxi home I think), and that always makes me feel like I have found a home. I've since bought a new one, along with a lanyard to keep it attached to me on boozy nights!
6. AFL Grand FinalS! The morning after Oktoberfest I was to be collected by a mate at some ridiculous hour to go to the AFL Grand Final function in another swanky hotel ballroom. Due to 1) my lack of a telephone and 2) my deep beer-induced slumber, my friend could not collect me. I woke up later, but just in time to make the opening bounce at the function. It was remarkably similar to the night before. Met lots of new people, and ate and drank way too much, and had a wonderful time. Of course I did not have a phone to lose, but no doubt I would have lost it if I did. The tied grand final was extremely exciting, even when you are not particularly supporting one team or the other. The next week the function happened again, albeit on a much smaller scale, with only about 100 Aussies instead of 1000 attending. It was great fun again but the game itself was dull. The great thing about both of the AFL functions was that they included all you can drink wine as well as beer! That meant I got to drink wine for the first time in 3 months!!!!
7. Introduction to Jakarta's nightlife. I have had 1 visit to Blok M. I don't need another one in the near future. This is a particularly seedy part of Jakarta, or at least the part I was taken to is. Every bar is basically a brothel or pretty close to it. Always good to get to know a city but apart from getting to play a few games of pool, this place didn't have much for me. I have also been to Jalan Jaksa, which is quite a famous area here. It was good! Lots of little bars, restaurants and clubs, all catering to a mix of locals, ex-pats and tourists. Cheap prices, good food, interesting people and a friendly vibe. I'll definitely be back there. I also discovered a bar with 2 free pool-tables! I love playing pool - it is a complete release for me. I don't care if I win or lose as long as I get to hit the ball hard and have a laugh. I am quite handy at times, but there are some serious players here, including the women, even the 7 months pregnant women! It was a great night, and I even arranged a date for the following evening in the same bar. Of course I got stood up, but that gave me a chance to play more pool and meet more people. Another great night which doesn't happen often when being rejected!
8. Karaoke. After being persistently hassled, not quite as much as in Bali, but not much less, I finally attended karaoke for the birthday of a friend. It was very enjoyable, despite only having 2 drinks and the karaoke machine lacking the only song I can remotely sing (Mustang Sally)! As karaoke is a national obsession in Indonesia, the locals get very, very good at singing. Most of my best friends at school are actually involved in choirs and have talent, which makes karaoke a bit more bearable than in Australia! There are 2 photos above from karaoke night. The first is a collector's item - Dave Gill singing sober.
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